The History of Sound 2025

Drama

History

Music

Romance

Rank

#1,889

133

Budget

$2.5M

Runtime

2 h 7 m

Language

English

Directed by

Oliver Hermanus

Made by

Film4

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The History of Sound Plot Summary

Read the complete plot summary and ending explained for The History of Sound (2025). From turning points to emotional moments, uncover what really happened and why it matters.

In 1917, Paul Mescal plays Lionel Worthing, a music student at the Boston Conservatory, who meets fellow student Josh O’Connor David White at a pub, and the two instantly bond over their shared love of folk music before returning to David’s apartment for an intimate night. As their connection deepens, the war darkens the horizon: America enters World War I, David is drafted, while Lionel, who is ineligible due to his eyesight, returns to his home state of Kentucky when the conservatory closes. He puts music aside to tend the family farm after his father dies suddenly, a loss that weighs on him and those around him, including Lionel Sr. (portrayed by Raphael Sbarge).

In 1919, Lionel receives a letter from David announcing his return from Europe, his employment at a Maine college, and a department-funded trip across the state to collect folk songs on wax cylinders, inviting Lionel to accompany and assist him. The two reunite and travel around, capturing songs from people of varying walks of life and renewing their relationship. They eventually part again as David must return to work and Lionel plans to travel to Europe. Lionel continues to write letters, but the correspondence ends after a year when he never hears back.

In 1923, Lionel, now living in Rome, tells his lover Luca of his dissatisfaction singing in a local choir and of taking a job at the University of Oxford, ending their relationship on bad terms. A year later, Lionel serves as conductor for the school’s choir and becomes involved with student socialite Clarissa Roux, who invites him to meet her family at a country manor. During the trip, Lionel is overwhelmed with memories of David, and the relationship with Clarissa ends when Lionel must suddenly return to the United States to comfort his dying mother, Molly Price.

After tying up his family affairs, Lionel travels to Maine to find David, only to learn from a colleague that David had died some time after their trip and that his department never actually commissioned the wax cylinders trip, leaving the location of the cylinders unknown. The colleague directs Lionel to David’s widow, Belle, Hadley Robinson. Belle reveals she recognizes Lionel, explains how she and David became involved, and shares that David’s death was a suicide linked to shell shock from the war. She returns his letters and promises to send the cylinders if they can be found. Lionel mourns David by revisiting his favorite places and recounting the songs that connected them, especially The Unquiet Grave.

In 1980, Lionel, now an ethnomusicologist, is promoting his latest book when a package arrives containing the wax cylinders, including one recorded on the day of David’s death. On the recording, David apologizes to Lionel and thanks him for their time together before singing Silver Dagger, the song Lionel sang to David when they first met.

The History of Sound Timeline

Follow the complete movie timeline of The History of Sound (2025) with every major event in chronological order. Great for understanding complex plots and story progression.

First meeting and bond over folk music

In 1917, Lionel Worthing, a Boston Conservatory student, meets fellow student David White at a pub. They instantly bond over their love of folk music. They return to David's apartment, where they begin a romantic relationship.

1917 Boston pub

Conservatory closes; Lionel returns to Kentucky

With America entering World War I, Lionel is ineligible due to his eyesight and returns to Kentucky when the conservatory closes. He puts music aside to help run the family farm after his father's sudden death. The separation foreshadows long years apart.

1917 Kentucky

David invites Lionel to join wax-cylinder fieldwork

In 1919, Lionel receives a letter from David announcing his return from Europe and a job at a Maine college. David invites Lionel to accompany him on a department-funded trip to collect folk songs on wax cylinders. The invitation rekindles their bond and sets the plans in motion.

1919 Maine

Field trip in Maine and renewed partnership

The two reunite and travel around Maine, recording folk songs from diverse communities on wax cylinders. The work deepens their shared love of music and their relationship. They push forward with the project until practical commitments pull them apart.

1919 Maine

Parting ways as plans for Europe loom

David returns to his duties in academia, while Lionel contemplates traveling to Europe. The two part ways, preserving the possibility of future collaboration but acknowledging growing distance. Their romance remains a quiet, intermittent thread across the years.

1919 Maine and Europe

Rome years and a new Oxford job

By 1923, Lionel is living in Rome and tells his lover Luca about his dissatisfaction with singing in a local choir. He takes a teaching position at the University of Oxford, signaling a major shift in his career. The relationship with Luca ends on bad terms as distances widen.

1923 Rome; Oxford (UK)

Oxford years, Clarissa Roux and memory resurfacing

A year after arriving in Europe, Lionel conducts the school's choir and becomes involved with student socialite Clarissa Roux. She invites him to meet her family at their country manor, a setting that triggers memories of David. The relationship offers a distraction but destabilizes as soon as the past intrudes.

1924 Oxford, England

Return to the U.S. to comfort his dying mother

Lionel must return to the United States to comfort his dying mother, abruptly ending his involvement with Clarissa. He arranges his personal affairs before resuming travels and commitments. The move marks a return to his family for support.

1924-1925 United States

Maine trip to find David; revelation of his death

After sorting family matters, Lionel travels to Maine to locate David. A colleague reveals that David died some time after their trip and that the wax-cylinder project was never commissioned. David's widow Belle explains how she and David became involved, and offers to help locate the cylinders.

1925 Maine

David's death, shell shock, and mourning

Lionel learns that David died by suicide as a result of war-related shell shock. He mourns by revisiting David's favorite places and recounting songs that connected them, especially The Unquiet Grave. The mystery of the cylinders lingers with his memories.

1925-1926 Maine

1980: Cylinders arrive and a haunting recording

In 1980, Lionel, now an ethnomusicologist, is promoting a new book when a package of wax cylinders arrives at his doorstep. One recording is made on the day of David's death, and David's voice apologizes and thanks Lionel before singing Silver Dagger, the song they first shared.

1980 Lionel's home

The History of Sound Characters

Explore all characters from The History of Sound (2025). Get detailed profiles with their roles, arcs, and key relationships explained.

Lionel Worthing (Paul Mescal)

A Boston Conservatory student whose love of folk music drives the story. He returns to Kentucky to tend the family farm when the conservatory closes, yet his passion for music never fades. Across decades, his bond with David and his memory of their moments propel his life as an ethnomusicologist.

🎼 Music 💙 Love 🧭 Travel

David White

A fellow student who bonds with Lionel over folk songs before the war interrupts their plans. Their travels to collect songs reveal a shared devotion that endures through distance. His death from shell shock becomes a pivotal, haunting turning point in Lionel's life.

🎭 Drama 💬 Letters 🧭 Travel

Belle Swain (Thankful Mary Swain)

David's widow who holds the letters and the secret of the wax cylinders. She reveals what she knows about Lionel and David's relationship and helps Lionel learn what became of the project. Her decisions shape Lionel's search and his understanding of the past.

💌 Letters 💔 Loss 🏡 Family

Clarissa Roux

A socialite in Oxford who becomes a romantic interest for Lionel before circumstances pull him back to the United States. Their encounter echoes themes of desire and disruption in the life of a cosmopolitan musician.

🎭 Drama 🕰️ Social Class 🏰 Manor

Older Lionel Worthing

Now an ethnomusicologist in 1980, he receives the wax cylinders and reflects on a life spent chasing songs and memories. The collection catalyzes a final reckoning with the past and with David.

🧠 Scholar 🕰️ Memory 🗺️ Travel

Lionel's Mother

Ailing matriarch whose illness and death prompt Lionel to return home and eventually tend to the family's affairs. Her presence anchors the pull between duty and desire.

👩‍👦 Family 🏡 Home 💬 Conversation

Grandfather

A venerable family figure who embodies tradition and the weight of ancestry, reminding Lionel of his roots as he navigates personal and professional obligations.

👴 Family 🏡 Home 🕰️ Traditions

The History of Sound Settings

Learn where and when The History of Sound (2025) takes place. Explore the film’s settings, era, and how they shape the narrative.

Time period

1917-1980

The story begins in 1917 amid World War I, charting Lionel and David through the late 1910s and early 1920s as they pursue folk music across continents. It shifts from youthful romance to later life as Lionel becomes an ethnomusicologist, with a European interlude and a return to the United States. The narrative culminates in 1980, when Lionel receives the wax cylinders and confronts the past he has carried for decades.

Location

Boston, Kentucky, Maine, Rome, Oxford

From the urban bustle of Boston to the rural farms of Kentucky, the tale spans diverse American landscapes. It also travels to Europe, with key moments in Rome and Oxford shaping Lionel's career and relationships. The settings—conservatory halls, family farms, a country manor, and university towns—frame the intimate memory of folk songs within a broader cultural journey.

🎼 Music 🗺️ Travel 🪖 War 🏛️ Education

The History of Sound Themes

Discover the main themes in The History of Sound (2025). Analyze the deeper meanings, emotional layers, and social commentary behind the film.

💔

Love and Loss

A deep romance unfolds across distance, war, and time between Lionel and David. Their bond endures through letters and shared songs, yet is crushed by David's death from shell shock. The ache of loss drives Lionel's lifelong dedication to music and memory.

🎶

Memory & Music

Folk songs become vessels of memory, gathered on wax cylinders to preserve personal and cultural histories. Recording blurs the line between intimate affection and public archive, linking private longing with a nation's musical heritage. Decades later, the cylinders reconnect Lionel with a past he never stopped cherishing.

🪖

War & Trauma

World War I casts a long shadow, shaping choices and relationships through shell shock and displacement. The trauma influences the lovers and the course of Lionel's life, including his sense of duty to family and career. The film explores resilience, guilt, and the slow, healing process that follows trauma.

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The History of Sound Ending Explained

Unravel the ending of The History of Sound (2025) with our detailed explanation. Understand the final scenes, character fates, and unresolved questions.

In the film’s final act, an older Lionel finally reaches the college in Maine where David once taught, only to learn that David died several years earlier, long after their last recording expedition. The college never actually funded the trip, so the wax cylinders they used to capture folk songs are nowhere to be found, and Lionel discovers that David had married a woman named Belle, a fact he never knew. Grief drives Lionel to Newport, where he confronts Belle; she admits she, too, had been captivated by David and that his inability to reconcile his two lives led him to despair and eventual suicide. She returns every letter Lionel sent, promises to send any surviving cylinders, and keeps that promise for nearly six decades.

Decades later, a now‑elderly Lionel—himself a celebrated ethnomusicologist—receives a package on his doorstep. Inside are the long‑lost wax cylinders. When he plays one, a voice from the past—David’s—offers an apology and, with trembling sincerity, sings “Silver Dagger,” the very song that first bound them together in a Boston pub. As the recording fades and Lionel’s eyes fill with tears, the film cuts to black, leaving him finally able to hear the love and regret he never got to share in life. This moment of listening provides the quiet, emotional closure the story has been building toward.

The History of Sound Spoiler-Free Summary

Discover the spoiler-free summary of The History of Sound (2025). Get a concise overview without any spoilers.

In the quiet lull that follows a world torn by conflict, the film opens on a recovering America where the hum of everyday life is tinged with a yearning for lost voices. Two young music students, Lionel and David, meet by chance in a bustling Boston pub, instantly recognizing each other’s devotion to the folk songs that drift through the streets. Their shared reverence for the raw, unpolished melodies of ordinary people becomes the catalyst for a partnership that feels both artistic and deeply personal, setting the tone for a story that celebrates intimacy amid broader social change.

Guided by their curiosity and guided by the rhythmic cadence of the road, the duo embarks on a journey across the American landscape, recording the songs, stories, and spoken memories of strangers they encounter. The act of capturing these moments on fragile wax cylinders feels like a quiet rebellion against the erasure of history, and the process draws the two men inexorably closer. Their collaboration unfolds with a tender, almost lyrical rhythm, hinting at an affection that deepens beyond the bounds of friendship while the world around them shifts in subtle, post‑war ways.

The film’s atmosphere is a delicate blend of nostalgia and quiet optimism, rendered in muted colors that echo the sepia tones of early recordings. It invites viewers to listen not only to the music the protagonists collect but also to the unsaid emotions that linger between them. As the notes they gather resonate across time, the story suggests that the true legacy of their work lies in the echo of those fragile recordings—and in the lingering, unspoken connection that continues to reverberate long after the last song fades.

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